Sheriff's Department

image by Randy Young, 1 September 2014

Porter County is in northwestern Indiana and is considered part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The county seat is the city of Valparaiso.

"The Porter County Sheriff's Department is committed to protect the lives, property and rights of all people, to maintain order and to enforce the laws. [The Department] is responsible for the professional care and custody of those confined in our jail, the security of our courts and the prompt investigation of crime when it occurs."
- www.portercountysheriff.com/mission-statement.html

The flag of the Porter County Sheriff's Department follows the same pattern that we've already developed for the flags of other Indiana sheriff's departments: the department's five-pointed star badge centered on a brown field.
- www.portercountysheriff.com/sheriff/specialty/colorguard.htmlRandy Young, 1 September 2014

The Porter County Sheriff's Department actually says "POLICE" on it instead of "SHERIFF." My reading of the situation is that in at least this situation, the county sheriff's department actually has jurisdiction and supervision authority over the local police departments as well. So while each municipality within the county (such as Valparaiso city and Portage city) will have their own local police departments, all are essentially subordinate to the county sheriff's department. So, in that light, the Porter County Sheriff's Department's badge says "POLICE" to recognize that not only are they a police agency, they are also the chief police agency of the county.Randy Young, 1 September 2014